The world of polymers has progressed rapidly to transform material science from wood and metals of the 19th Century to the use of thermoset polymers of the mid-20th Century to the use of thermoplastic polymers of the later 20th Century.
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) combine the benefits of elastomeric properties of thermoset polymers, such as vulcanized rubber, with the processing properties of thermoplastic polymers.
Recently, a new type of TPE has become available, namely: ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymers as disclosed in PCT Patent Publications WO 2006/101966; WO 2006/102155; WO 2006/101999; WO 2006/101928; and WO 2006/101924 all filed by Dow Global Technologies and all incorporated by reference as if fully rewritten herein.
TPEs are particularly suitable for providing a “soft touch” manual gripping surface on tools, toothbrushes, and other handheld items. Most often, these TPEs are co-molded with a hard, inelastic thermoplastic in a technique called two-component injection molding.
United States Patent Application Publication US2003/0232213 (Shepler et al.) (abandoned) disclosed a multiple layer reusable plastic container made by, for example, co-extrusion blow molding techniques. One outer layer disclosed by Shepler et al. was a thermoplastic elastomer.